Eli's Promise

by Ronald H. Balson

  * * *

  A telephone call came into Chicago’s emergency number at 3:30 a.m. “Fire at 4932 North Karlov.” It was redirected to District 2, Battalion 10, Engine Company 124. By the time the first unit arrived, the flames were shooting through the front windows of the redbrick bungalow. Firefighters rapidly opened the pump panels, connected the hoses and pumped heavy streams of water into the house. Additional equipment quickly arrived on the scene. Curious neighbors came to the windows of their homes, and some even stepped out into the cold to watch from their front lawns.

  Chicago Police Department patrol cars arrived minutes later. Red and blue emergency lights lit up the area. Neighborhood residents and members of the media continued to gather. When the fire was extinguished and the equipment was being loaded back into the trucks, television reporters who had flocked to the scene showered Battalion Chief Foster with questions. “I won’t have too much to tell you,” he said. “Everything is preliminary. We’ll have more later today.”

  “Can you give us something?” a TV reporter said. “We go live in an hour.”

  Foster reluctantly consented. “At three thirty this morning, the Chicago Fire Department responded to a call placed by a neighbor who reported seeing flames through the window of this building at 4932 North Karlov. It was a ‘still alarm,’ and the response at the time was two engines, two trucks and a battalion chief. When the fire was confirmed, we immediately initiated a working fire response, bringing in an additional truck and an ambulance. Because of the density of this neighborhood and the close proximity of the houses on this street, it was my judgment to initiate a three-eleven alarm. As you can see, we have four engines out here.

  “The fire was attacked through the front and side of the structure. We were able to contain it to the east side of the building. My men entered the rear door to check for residents. Two adults were found in the rear bedroom and pronounced dead at the scene. Preliminary assessments required us to contact the Chicago Police Department. I don’t have anything more. I’m sure there’ll be a statement later today.”

  “Can you give us the names of the deceased?”

  “No, I’m sorry.”

  “I know who they are,” said a woman in a robe and a nylon puff jacket. “They’re Preston and Christine Roberts. They just moved into that house a few months ago. Nice kids.”

  PART III

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  LUBLIN

  LUBLIN, POLAND

  MARCH 15, 1941

  MONTH 18 OF THE NAZI OCCUPATION

  “Eighteen months and Germany’s hold on Europe gets stronger every day,” Eli said to Esther, who stood behind him in the corner of the basement. Eli navigated the stations on his shortwave radio. “The radio reports that a brick wall has been built around the Warsaw ghetto and has sealed in 350,000 Jews. I also hear warnings about sealed ghettos for Krakow, Lodz and Kovno.”

  Esther squeezed his shoulders. “They haven’t sealed us in here in Lublin. Maybe they don’t plan to do so.”

  “That seems shortsighted, Essie, especially coming from you. From the beginning, you recognized them for what they were and advocated fleeing into the countryside.”

  “And it was you who pointed out the dangers of such a move. And what about your brother and your father? They’d be arrested and punished if we left. So we’ll keep our heads up here in Lublin; we’ll endure; we’ll wait and we’ll pray. Good will always prevail over evil—we must believe that or there is no purpose in the universe.”

  Eli nodded. “I will continue to operate the brickyard. Business demands are strong, though we are principally filling orders for the German command at a small profit.”

  “And I’ll continue to work at the Lipowa sweatshop until these animals leave.”

  * * *

  It was midmorning when Maximilian unexpectedly appeared at the brickyard and insisted that Eli, Louis and Jakob join him in a meeting. “Big changes are coming to Lublin,” he said with an officious air. “But because of my affection for the Rosen family, I want you to be the first to know, and the first to take appropriate precautions. Governor-General Hans Frank has appointed a new leader for the Lublin District. His name is Ernst Zörner, and he assumed command this week. Personally, I think he’s a fat slob and ill-mannered—nothing like us—but he will dutifully implement the Reich’s policies.”

  “What about your buddy, Odilo Globočnik? Has he been canned?”

  “Oh no, far from it. He will continue to command the Lublin District SS, and now he’s been given even greater authority. He’s focusing all of his efforts on building and stocking work camps. He’s in charge of Jewish labor for the entire Lublin District. Do you remember when I told you about the Judische reservat, the Jewish reservation for five hundred Jews in Nisko? Well, that was Odilo’s plan, but Governor-General Frank wouldn’t fund it, so now that project’s been scrapped in favor of smaller work camps widely dispersed throughout central Poland. Globočnik has already set up fifty-one of them in villages throughout the district. There is great pressure to conscript healthy workers for these camps.”

  “Conscript?”

  Maximilian shrugged. “Would you prefer ‘collected,’ ‘rounded up,’ ‘involuntarily appointed’? Odilo insists that everyone do his or her part to support the war effort.”

  “You mean every Jew?”

  “Well, certainly every Jew, but others as well. Look, it’s not my policy. I don’t approve, but every able-bodied Jew will be assigned to a work camp or factory.”

  “And those who are not able-bodied?”

  Maximilian shrugged. “I’m afraid the administration will look unkindly on them.”

  “How does any of this affect us?” Louis asked. “We’re all working. We are at the brickyard; my wife is at Lipowa, and so is Esther.”

  Maximilian raised his eyebrows. “You have a daughter, is that not so? Chava? Able-bodied?”

  Louis shot to his feet. “She’s only fifteen.”

  “Ah yes, I know. I have watched her grow up over the past few years and flower into quite a young woman. I saw her just the other day. She is tall and fully grown. A beautiful, healthy girl, if I may say so. Unfortunately, Commandant Zörner’s deputy has also seen her. He asks, Why has she not been sent to a work camp? He asked me that directly. He knows I am close to the Rosens.”

  “For goodness sake,” Louis pleaded, “she’s just a child. She’s too young to sew all day at Lipowa. She’s studying. She’s a gifted musician.”

  Maximilian shook his head. “She is not a child in the eyes of the Nazi command. Besides, Lipowa is fully staffed. She is not needed there.”

  Louis’s hands were shaking. “Where is she needed?”

  Maximilian raised his chin and looked away. “In a distant camp, I’m afraid.”

  Louis rushed around the table and hovered over him. “What do you want? Money? How much this time, Maximilian?”

  “I’m afraid that money won’t solve our problem. She has been noticed by Zörner’s deputy.”

  “Noticed? What does that mean?”

  “Unhappily, it means that Chava will be assigned within the next few days.”

  Eli pounded his fist on the table. “This is unacceptable! You have sworn to protect our family. We have paid you a king’s ransom. You cannot allow Chava to be sent away. You must use every bit of the influence that you have cultivated to prevent that from happening.”

  Maximilian remained calm. “Things change daily, Eli. You know that, and I struggle daily to keep myself in good graces with the authorities and protect my friends. Zörner and Globočnik are intent on implementing Hitler’s fundamental plan that Poland is to be depopulated and resettled by Germans. But I suppose I’m not telling you anything you haven’t figured out, right?”

  Jakob responded angrily, “I don’t think we figured that out, Maximilian. You’ve never said that before. You’ve always told us that you would protect us, you’d be our buffer and keep us in our homes and working at the bri
ckyard. We’ve paid you handsomely to make that so.”

  “I always try to do my best, Jakob. You know that. But some things are out of my control. I came to you today to give you an advance warning about Chava. You should be grateful for that. The ORPO will commence conscripting as many workers as possible to fill Globočnik’s camps. You can’t put the blame on me; I don’t make the rules. I’m only passing along the information. Maybe you can hide her; maybe they won’t find her. You’ll have to make that decision, but, alas, the ORPO knows how to sniff out Jews.”

  Louis was trembling. “There must be some other way. There must be something you can do.”

  Maximilian pulled on his lips and finally said, “All right. For you, Louis, for the Rosen family, I will do this; I will take Chava into my home. I will say she is my housekeeper. In my house, she will be safe. The ORPO will not dare to enter my home. I will do this for you.”

  “The hell you will,” Eli said. “She’s not stepping foot into your house and walking around in a nightgown. She’s fifteen years old; she’s not living in your house, and she’s not sleeping in your bed. Period. Besides, I thought Schlossberg’s daughter was living with you.”

  Maximilian scoffed. “She was, but not anymore.”

  “What happened? Did you get bored with her, Maximilian?”

  He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I will take Chava if Louis wants me to. Otherwise, you may do whatever you deem prudent. There’s something more I have to tell you. Zörner plans on designating a specific area for a Lublin ghetto and forcing all Jews to live within its boundaries.”

  “Warsaw,” Jakob said solemnly. “That’s what they did in Warsaw. Jewish families live like caged animals behind brick walls. The gates in or out are guarded. It’s a prison, nothing less.”

  “There are no plans for a wall or a fence,” Maximilian said. “Not that I know of. But Zörner is an obsequious, fat functionary, and he will do what he is told. The Nazis look at Warsaw and see that it’s working well. Very organized. Very efficient.”

  “Where is this ghetto supposed to be?” Jakob asked.

  “Well, that’s a good question, and I don’t know the full answer, but I’ve seen drawings. It looks like there will actually be two ghettos in Lublin. On the drawing, there is a ghetto A and a ghetto B. Ghetto A will be the largest and will be located in Old Town.”

  “Old Town?” Eli said. “That’s the poorest, most overcrowded section of the city. It’s already unsanitary and full of disease. How is he going to pack forty thousand people into Old Town?”

  “I don’t think he’s concerned about their comfort, Eli.”

  “What is ghetto B?”

  “Ghetto B will be in the area of Grodzka, Kowalska and Rybna Streets.”

  “That’s a very small area, but our house is on Rybna,” Eli said.

  “Then for the time being you are probably okay. When they finish designating ghetto B, it will be for those engaged in professions: artisans, carpenters, factory owners and those with jobs that can benefit the administration.” Then he pointed at Louis. “And also those who serve on the Judenrat. Jews that were appointed to the Judenrat are considered privileged in the eyes of the German command, and they will get to live in ghetto B.”

  “My house is not in that area,” Jakob said.

  “Then you will have to move. The SS will seize all vacant houses outside the ghetto. You’ll have to find another place to live.”

  “I’ve lived in my house for fifty years. It is not vacant!”

  Maximilian looked at Jakob, shrugged his shoulders and sighed in complacent resignation. “It will be. I don’t know what more to say.”

  “When will this take effect?”

  “Soon. I’m giving you advance warning. If your home is outside the boundaries of ghetto B, you’re going to have to find other accommodations.”

  “Is that it? Is that all your wonderful news today? Can we get back to work?”

  “No, it’s not, and don’t shoot the messenger. I’m doing you a favor by coming here. Remember, Maximilian is your friend. So far, I’ve kept you in your homes and off the deportation lists. But there is something else. Globočnik wants to open a brickyard in Litzmannstadt.”

  Eli, Jakob and Louis looked at each other quizzically. “Where is Litzmannstadt?”

  “Oh, the Germans have renamed Lodz. It’s now called Litzmannstadt.”

  “Are the seven hundred thousand people who live in Lodz now aware that they live in Litzmannstadt?”

  “I would assume. They may not like it, but their city happens to lie within the borders of a new world. Anyway, my superiors want to construct a brickyard just like the one here in Lublin. They say, ‘Build us one just like M. Poleski Building and Construction Materials.’ I see this as an opportunity for the Rosens. Conceivably, you’ll have income from two brickyards.”

  “No thanks. I know what the Nazis have done with Lodz. They sealed off an area with barbed wire and forced two hundred thousand Jews inside. The ORPO shot three hundred and fifty people who resisted. I want nothing to do with Lodz or the Nazis.”

  Maximilian held his palm to his chest in mock sincerity. “I’m only passing along information. The Nazis have moved the Jews out of the Lodz city center and they now boast it’s Judenrein. There are rumors that Jews in the ghetto will soon be moved elsewhere. They want Litzmannstadt to be a model of German culture, a shining center of the new General Gouvernment. I’m sure you can imagine all of the work that will be funneled through the new M. Poleski brickyard.”

  “Yeah, I can imagine. I’m not doing it.”

  “I’m afraid you don’t have a choice. Those are Zörner’s and Globočnik’s orders. They’re not suggestions. The project is slated for June. Globočnik has delegated it to Zörner, and he will want to meet with you in advance of that time.”

  As Maximilian was walking out of the building, Louis ran to catch up with him. The conversation lasted only a few minutes. When he returned, Eli said, “What did you do, Louis? Tell me you did not ask him to move Chava into his house.”

  “Don’t lecture me, Eli. I can’t send Chava to some faraway labor camp from which she’ll never return. You’d do the same thing.”

  “He preys on young girls. He’s a monster. A lecher. You can’t let Chava move in with him. Who knows if he’s even telling the truth?”

  “Leave me alone, Eli. Don’t you dare stand in judgment of me. You’re not facing this problem.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  LUBLIN, POLAND

  APRIL 1941

  MONTH 19 OF THE NAZI OCCUPATION

  “Sylvia is beside herself, Eli,” said Esther as she placed the dinner dishes on the table. “Louis announced that he was moving Chava into Maximilian’s house for her safety.”

  “I’m dead set against it, Esther. I told Louis it was a mistake, that Maximilian is a lecherous snake, but my brother is desperate. He’s concluded that it’s necessary to prevent Chava from being shipped to a distant labor camp. He might be right. But I will have a talk with Maximilian first, and I will make it perfectly clear that he is not to touch her.”

  Esther shook her head. “I don’t have much confidence in Maximilian. I talked to Myrna Schlossberg. You remember that her daughter Sophie, also fifteen years old, was living at Maximilian’s?”

  Eli nodded. “I asked Maximilian about her. He said she’s not there anymore. I assumed she was now back at home.”

  “No, Eli. Sophie is now living with some Nazi. Myrna went to visit Sophie last week and she was gone. Maximilian told her that Sophie didn’t want to live with him anymore, that she had caught the fancy of a German officer and preferred to live with him instead. Maximilian said he was sorry to see her go, but it was Sophie’s decision.”

  “And Myrna doesn’t believe that?”

  Esther put her hands on her hips. “Eli! I know Sophie Schlossberg. She’d sooner lie with an alligator than a Nazi. She’s a young girl. Myrna said she’d never been with a boy before moving i
n with Maximilian. Maximilian gave her to that Nazi, probably as a gift in furtherance of his sycophantic relationship.”

  “Maximilian doesn’t give anything away. He sold her.”

  “You can’t let Louis do this. Maximilian’ll take advantage of Chava. She’s an innocent young girl. You have to stop him, Eli.”

  Esther and Eli were interrupted by a knock on the door. Jakob stood there with a suitcase. He was shaking like a leaf. “They came an hour ago. Three mamzer Nazis. They pushed their way into my house, looked around and said I have until tomorrow morning to move out. ‘Take all your Jewish shit, but leave the furniture,’ they said. They want a furnished house!”

  Esther put her arm around him and brought him into the kitchen. “Please, sit down,” she said gently and placed a cup of coffee on the table. “We’ll help you, Papa. Don’t worry. You can move right into our spare bedroom. Eli and Louis will help you move your things.” She pointed her finger and commanded, “Go, Eli. Get Louis, and while you’re at it, you can relieve him of his insane idea of putting Chava in Maximilian’s home.”

  Eli picked up the brickyard truck and drove to Louis’s house. As he approached the door, he heard screaming and crying from within. Louis answered the door, looked at Eli and said, “Whatever it is, this is not a good time, Eli.”

  “What’s happening here, Louis?”

  From the other side of the door, Sylvia’s voice boomed. “What’s happening, what’s happening? I’ll tell you what’s happening, Eli. My little Chava is now living in a man’s house.”

  Eli shook his head. “Oh, Louis, you can’t do that. We have to go and bring her back.”

  “Listen to him, Louis, he’s your older brother. He knows best. Chava shouldn’t be in a man’s house.”